A Rose in the Dark
by Kakeru
Summary: A new girl comes onto the scene; she seems normal enough, until someone from her past begins uncovering dark, life changing secrets that even SHE didn't know about. Is everything she ever knew a lie? pairings to be revealed later
1. Prologue: Shadow, A New Threat

**xxx A Rose in the Dark xxx**

**Warnings: **mild swearing, slight OOC, sucky writing-ness  
**Rated: **PG-13 (for later chapters)  
**Pairings: **TBA  
**Disclaimer**: Yes, I own nothing. Sad, isn't it? All I own is my character, Kakeru. All things Yu Yu Hakusho related are copyright their creators, and Talim & Ashura are copyrighted to my friends.

"blah blah blah" - talking  
(_blah blah blah_) - thoughts  
**--()-- **– change in scene

**Prologue: Shadow, a New Threat**

"Stop him! He's getting away!"

The ogre guards ran down the hall, chasing the black-cloaked intruder.

(_Hmph. Foolish. Do they really think they can catch me?_)

A set of folders tucked under his arm, the man continued dashing down the hallways of King Enma's vault, easily avoiding and outrunning every man they threw at him.

"I might as well be unopposed, if this is the best they can do," he chuckled to himself.

He took one glance back at the pursuing guards as they gave up the chase, and when he looked back ahead of him, there stood the four spirit detectives in battle-ready positions. The intruder jumped, gracefully sailing over and landing behind all four of them. He turned to look at them and smirked at their foolishness.

"Wow, he's fast!" Yusuke exclaimed.

"Yeah, almost as fast as you, shrimp," Kuwabara teased, glancing over at Hiei.

"Now is not the time for idle jokes you baka," Hiei retorted back.

Kurama calmly stepped forward. "Yes, we must stop him and retrieve the files."

He pulled a rose out from his ruby locks, immediately transforming it into his trademarked rose whip.

"Rose Whip!"

The green whip flew swiftly at the intruder, but he moved slightly, easily dodging all of the whip's movements.

Kurama pulled it back and lashed out once again. "Rose Whip!"

The intruder dodged again, this time, stepping on the whip as it hit the ground, preventing Kurama from moving it.

"Sorry, but I don't have time to play with you fools right now. I have pressing business to attend to!"

He jumped up, surrounded himself with his cloak, and disappeared into the shadows. His soft chuckle could be heard echoing behind him after he vanished.

Yusuke stomped at the ground "Dammit, he got away!"

"There was something strange about that guy….some kind of weird power," Kuwabara commented.

"I'm inclined to agree with you. There was definitely something different about him," Kurama said thoughtfully. "I wonder what his motives were…."

"That is something we don't know, Kurama," a voice echoed down the hall.

The four turned around to see Koenma, the prince of Spirit World, stroll towards them.

"What was it that he stole, exactly?" Yusuke said, running a hand through the back of his gelled, black hair.

"Well, Yusuke, that intruder stole some files," Koenma stated. "They were kept hidden away in a secret vault so no one would be able to access them."

Hiei spoke up, a hint of interest in his voice. "What was in those files?"

"We're not sure. They've been locked up for so long that no one has read them in centuries," he replied.

(_I can't let them know that those files were actually updated a decade ago...not yet. We can't let anyone know what was in those files..._)

"Hopefully he won't come back," Kuwabara grimaced.

"Yes, let's hope so," Koenma whispered softly.

(_He probably will come back...that man thinks he has all of the files, but he's missing the most important one. But...why would he want to know about...them?_)

**--()--**

The man hid in the shadows of a forest in the Makai. He flipped through the files he had snatched, scanning everything for the information he desired.

"I already knew all of this," he mumbled to himself.

He checked over it carefully again, and still, nothing. He threw down the folder in frustration.

"Damn…what a waste. But I will find you, little one. I know that you're still alive out there. You've hidden well, but no matter where you're hiding, I'll find you. Make no mistake about that!"

He chuckled to himself and ran off to plan his next move.

* * *

I hope that was an okay introduction, even though it was a bit short. Oooo...scary mystery man xD You'll have to wait awhile to hear more about him, though. The next chapter should be coming really soon. Arigatou to all of my readers out there 3 I love you all!


	2. Run! Off to School We Go

**xxx A Rose in the Dark xxx**

**Warnings: **mild swearing, slight OOC, sucky writing-ness  
**Rated: **PG-13 (for later chapters)  
**Pairings: **TBA  
**Disclaimer**: Yes, I own nothing. Sad, isn't it? All I own is my character, Kakeru. All things Yu Yu Hakusho related are copyright their creators, and Talim & Ashura are copyrighted to my friends.

"blah blah blah" - talking  
(_blah blah blah_) - thoughts  
**--()-- **– change in scene

* * *

**Chapter 1: Run, Off to School We Go**

A light breeze blew pink cherry blossom petals down from the trees outside. The wispy clouds against the gorgeous blue sky were a very pleasant sight for any eye to behold. Sunshine gleamed down from above, filling everything its rays touched with warmth and happiness. A faint projection of the moon could be seen setting far in the distance. Everything seemed perfect and at peace in the world at that moment. A young girl walked outside the doorway of her small home to greet this lovely day.

(_Ah, another beautiful, clear, sunny day! The perfect day to...aw, who am I kidding? Another perfectly nice day that I have to go to school!_) The girl thought to herself as she sighed.

Kakeru stood on the steps, looking at all the beauty around her. Her long brown hair floated lightly on the breeze. She stared at the sky and then shifted her violet eyes over to the obscure moon.

(_Another faded setting moon...how beautiful..._)

A sudden gust of wind almost blowing up her dark violet skirt shook the young dreamer out of her reverie.

(_Oh, well. Even if I have to go to school today, at least I get to see my friends. And it's a nice day, so I should let that keep me in high spirits, not bring me down! Who knows, maybe I'll actually enjoy myself, for a change..._)

"Ack, I'd better get moving, or I'm gonna be late!" she mumbled to herself.

Kakeru ran back to the door of her house, checked to see that all was in order, grabbed her book bag, locked the door and started towards her school. Meiou High, the high school she attended, was about a 20-minute walk from her home on one of the quietest streets in all of Tokyo. The rest of the city was always bustling around, but her neighborhood was fairly quiet and full of friendly people, which suited Kakeru just fine. It gave her plenty of opportunities to think and dream of the life and love she one day wished to have, even though she knew that nothing exciting would ever happen to a typical girl like her.

Looking down at her watch, Kakeru saw that it was 7:30am.

(_Oh no! The bell rings in 15 minutes! I'd better run for it! If I get another tardy, it's "Goodbye outside world" and "Hello detention hall"!_)

She began sprinting along the many twists and turns of the sidewalk, being careful not to collide into anyone or anything along the way.

"Crap, crap, crap!! Gotta move, gotta move!!"

When the school was finally in her view she began to slow down a bit, but didn't stop until she was at the large front doors.

(_Phew! I have 5 minutes left. Thank goodness, I think I still have enough time to make it to my locker before homeroom!_)

She walked in and saw many people lining the hallways, getting their last minute needs from their lockers and running off to homeroom. Kakeru walked the large expanse of the hallway to her locker and quickly trotted over to her homeroom and leapt through the door, mere seconds before the bell rang. Everyone in the class softly chuckled at her usual dramatic, last minute entrance. She took her normal seat in the front of the class near her friends and gave a hard sigh. It was looking like it was going be another one of those days...

* * *

Yes, another really short chapter. But it's necessary to slowly introduce characters into the story! lol Anyway, I hope you enjoy my story so far! Please review with your opinion...please...?? And thanks to my onee-chan, Talim, for inspiring me to write, and to any fans I may have out there - thanks for your support!


	3. Encounter, the “Accidental” Meeting

**xxx A Rose in the Dark xxx**

**Warnings: **mild swearing, slight OOC, sucky writing-ness  
**Rated: **PG-13 (for later chapters)  
**Pairings: **TBA  
**Disclaimer**: Yes, I own nothing. Sad, isn't it? All I own is my character, Kakeru. All things Yu Yu Hakusho related are copyright their creators, and Talim & Ashura are copyrighted to my friends.

"blah blah blah" - talking  
(_blah blah blah_) - thoughts  
**--()-- **– change in scene

* * *

**Chapter 2: Encounter, the "Accidental" Meeting**

(_They all laughed at me again……I guess I should be used to that by now, what with all my late arrivals recently_….._oh well_….)

A young girl with cerulean hair slowly crept her arm over and poked the sulking teen hard on the arm

"Ow!! What the…..!!" she screeched, gaining stares from everyone else in the room.

"Are you done zoning out now, Kakeru-chan?" Talim chuckled softly.

"You always become so oblivious to everything when you do that!" chirped Ashura.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever….was it absolutely necessary to poke me that hard, though…?" she mumbled under her breath, rubbing her arm.

Talim tugged on Kakeru's sleeve to get her attention. "So, why were you almost late again this morning? Hmmmm?"

Kakeru tilted her head playfully and grinned. "Oh, you know me! I was just staring obliviously at nothing, like always!"

"Aw..." Ashura whined. "That's supposed to be my job!!"

Kakeru smiled and lightly shook her head. She looked around the room, taking in the normal homeroom scene: friends talking back and forth, the preppy girls talking about their latest crush...very normal things in a life that was just as normal.

Taking a moment to look over at her best friends, Ashura and Talim, Kakeru smiled. They were having their usual poking competition. It was very amusing to watch since they were always so serious about it. Talim's golden eyes stared intently into Ashura's emerald green ones, both ready to strike at the other's slightest movement. The air was thick with tension and felt like one of the showdowns you would see in an old western film. Talim brushed a lock of long, ocean blue hair out of her face, as Ashura ran her right hand through her short violet hair. The competition was just about to get under way...

"All right class!! Settle down, please, everyone!! Back to your seats," the homeroom teacher yelled. Everyone just grumbled at her. Ashura and Talim pouted at having their fun interrupted, while Kakeru just sat up straight and sighed quietly. The class whispered back and forth while she took attendance.

After what seemed like forever, the bell rang, signaling the end of homeroom and the start of first period. Everyone hurried out the door, Ashura, Talim and Kakeru bringing up the rear. The three friends walked down the crowded hall in search of their class, chatting all the way. Then Ashura spoke up.

"Hey, Kakeru-chan...which class do we have first, anyway?" she asked curiously.

A sly grin played across Kakeru's face, her violet eyes flickering in amusement at her friend's confusion.

"Hmm...I think our first class is...Biology," Talim said thoughtfully.

"Correct!!" Kakeru exclaimed happily. "I'm surprised you guys figured it out without my help for a change!"

"Hey!!" they screamed in unison. Kakeru giggled softly and quickened her pace towards the lab at the end of the hall, the two teens at her heels, still huffy over her previous comment.

Upon entering, Ashura, Talim & Kakeru took their seats in the far back of the room. The lab had twelve tables, each the perfect size for a pair of lab partners. Kakeru sat at the last table in the middle row with Ashura. Talim was in the desk to the left, partnered up with a male classmate. The room was filled with many glass beakers and potted plants, flowers, and charts. Kakeru lightly smiled, happy to be in such a comforting environment. Shetook a look around and noticed that all the other girls in the class were giggling and swooning over a boy with bright red hair, which looked even brighter against the shade of magenta on their school's uniform.

Talim leaned over towards her two friends. "Looks like all the girls are drooling over Shuichi again," she whispered as she gave a disgusted glance at the preppy, starry-eyed girls.

"I don't get it….I really don't understand why they like him so much!" Ashura complained as she looked at him.

"What do you guys expect? He is the most popular boy in school, after all, as well as one of the smartest. Girls would give anything to have him say even one word to them!" Kakeru said in a matter-of-factly voice.

"Even you, K-chan?" Talim teased.

"Shut up, Talim!"

"So….I was right, was I?" She winked knowingly.

"Humph….not likely."

At that exact moment, the bell rang and the teacher walked in.

(_I don't care if I talk to him. He's popular, so what? That's not surprising to me at all. Although isn't he the person who... -NO. It doesn't matter!_)

"Alright, konnichiwa everyone!" the teacher exclaimed. "Let's start off this morning by assigning everyone new seats and lab partners!"

The whole class rolled their eyes and groaned their disapproval to this idea.

(_This is no big deal! I mean, come on, is a little change going to kill them or something? What's the worst that could happen?_)

"Yes, I know you don't want to, but we're going to change seats anyway. In the front desk to my left will be…..Tikal Talim-san and Kattsu Ashura-san."

"Yay!!" Talim and Ashura both screamed, jumping up and down excitedly. They trotted over to their table and sat down.

"The desk right here in front of me will consist of Minamino-san …" 2

Shuichi stood up, brushed his bright crimson bangs out of his eyes, walked coolly up to the table and took his seat. Many of the girls were starry-eyed and giggling, hoping that they would end up being paired up with him. Ashura and Talim both rolled their eyes at the drooling girls, then continued on with their conversation. Although she didn't show it, even Kakeru was anxiously awaiting who would be assigned as his partner.

(_There's a knot in my stomach_…._I have the strangest feeling that it's going to be_…)

"Ah, yes! And his partner will be Hino Sabrina-san!"

Everyone turned to look at Kakeru as she stood up, grabbed her books and slowly walked down to the front of the room. Kakeru looked over at Shuichi and took her seat next to him. All of Shuichi's fan girls growled angrily at her, hoping that their glares would burn through her back.

"Hello, Sabrina."

"H-hi …..Shuichi…" Kakeru managed to stammer out. Sheput her hand to her cheeks and realized they were warm.

(_Oh no, I'm blushing! But...why am I so nervous all of a sudden?_)

Shuichi noticed that she was blushing and smiled lightly, deciding it would be a good idea to break the uncomfortable silence that lingered between them. "I'm sure it'll be a pleasure to work with an intelligent person such as yourself."

He acted calm and confident, she noticed, and was being very kind to her. In an instant, she realized how shy and aloof she was acting and attempted to perk herself up.

"No, I should be saying the same to you. You're a much better student than I am!"

"I'm not better by much, actually. You're average is only under mine by a few points….."

Kakeru stopped him, shaking her head, so that she could continue with her compliments.

"But you're still better! It's truly an honor to be able to work with you, Shuichi. Maybe you could teach me a thing or two…..?" she inquired, giving him one of her sweetest smiles.

Kakeru look over at him and noticed him blushing ever-so-slightly. She smiled to herself that he was still human, and not stuck-up like most popular people.

"Arigatou. I can tell that we'll make a great team," Shuichi said, covering up his blush with a quick nod and small smile.

While the two partners were talking, the teacher had finished assigning everyone their new seats. "Ok class, now that that is done, let's start on today's lab lesson. Tikal-san, Kattsu-san, pay attention, or I will be forced to reassign your seats!!"

Talim and Ashura stopped talking and tried to look like they were paying attention. "Yes sensei-san!"

"Good. Now then, let us begin the lab experiment. I've placed all the necessary materials on your desks. Follow the instructions and everything should go fine. And just for your own safety, always wear the goggles and be very careful with the chemicals," the teacher instructed.

"Yes, sensei," everyone said in unison.

Kakeru picked up the clear lab goggles, put them on and picked up the instruction sheet. Holding it up so that both of them could see it, she read the instructions aloud.

"You have been given six chemicals labeled A, B, C, D, E and F. Carefully mix these different chemicals together two at a time in order to determine which category they belong to: organic or inorganic."

Further down the paper there was a small note. "WARNING: Whatever you do, do not mix all of the chemicals together at once!" Kakeru gave a worried glance over toward Ashura and Talim, who were staring in wonder at the beakers of different colored chemicals.

(_I sure hope they don't do anything stupid_...)

"Is something wrong Sabrina?" Shuichi asked.

"Oh, no, of course not. I guess I'm just a bit worried about my friends, that's all. To tell you the truth, they're really not that good at this kind of stuff."

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll be just fine. Now, let's begin. Perhaps we should attempt to mix A and B together first. What do you think?" Shuichi smiled.

"Sure, that sounds like a good place to start!" Kakeru stated enthusiastically. No matter how enthusiastic she sounded, though, she had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach.

(_I'm getting one of those feelings again_..._like something bad is going to happen_...)

"Um...Sabrina...?"

"Oh, gomen!" she exclaimed, blushing at her forgetfulness. "Let's get to it, then."

The two partners began mixing the different chemicals, being very careful about how much of each was added. They worked well together, discussing ideas and observations of the testing. Everything went fairly easy for them.

Talim and Ashura, on the other hand, were practically clueless as to what was going on. They had whispered through the teacher's instruction and missed all of the directions.

"Hmm….hey Talim, oh almighty smart person!...What were we supposed to do again?"

"You know, I have no idea. I think we're supposed to try and mix them together, or something like that."

"Oooo…this one is sooooo pretty!! Purple!!"

"Hn. I like the green one….it's all green and...yeah…Oh, look! Mine has the letter "E" on it!"

"Well….mine has the letter "B" on it, somehow making it better than yours because it's…um….better!"

"Hey, Ashura-chan! If we mix the two together, I bet it will be even cooler!"

"Ok, let's do it then!!"

"Alright, I'll put my green stuff in this glass beaker……"

"And now I'll add my purple one!! Weeeee!!"

"Ah, screw it, let's just dump them all in!"

"Yay!"

Kakeru and Shuichi finished their notes on the experiment and set their pencils down. Kakeru smiled and glanced quickly over at her two friends.

"It sounds like they're pretty enthusiastic about this. I'm glad."

"I told you that you had no reason to worry. I'm sure they're doing fine."

She chuckled at herself. "Yeah, I guess you were right. As long as they don't..."

Kakeru looked over at Shuichi with a shocked expression, and quickly looked back at her friends.

"No, they wouldn't!" she exclaimed.

Shuichi glanced at Kakeru. "But they are..."

"Talim, Ashura, don't mix those together!!" they yelled in unison.

Unfortunately, Kakeru and Shuichi had noticed too little too late. There was a deafening sound and the room filled with billowing grey smoke. Everyone ran out of the room, screaming and coughing. The force of the miniature explosion blew Kakeru backward, causing her to lose her balance and fall. As she was about to hit the ground, someone caught her and quickly helped guide her out into the hallway. She could feel a sharp pain in the back of her head as the world spun around her. The last thing Kakeru saw was a bright crimson blur before blacking out.

"The back of her head is bleeding...don't worry Bri-chan, you'll be alright, I promise," Kakeru's savior whispered softly.

* * *

Yay! 3 times longer than any of my previous chapters! Now we actually start getting into the meat of the story a bit...even though you still don't really know much about Kakeru, but you'll find out more about her past and her personality in later chapters (including why she is known by 2 different names). I planned on making this a VERY long story with a lot of fun, plot and romance from the beginning, hence why it's taking so long to get anywhere with it. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and look for another chapter coming up real soon :D Thanks again to all of my fans and those who took the time to read this! 3


	4. Interrupted, Lunch Time Conversation

**xxx A Rose in the Dark xxx**

**Warnings: **mild swearing, slight OOC, sucky writing-ness  
**Rated: **PG-13 (for later chapters)  
**Pairings: **KuramaOC, KazumaOC (more may be added later)  
**Disclaimer**: Yes, I own nothing. Sad, isn't it? All I own is my character, Kakeru. All things Yu Yu Hakusho related are copyright their creators, and Talim & Ashura are copyrighted to my friends.

"blah blah blah" - talking  
(_blah blah blah_) - thoughts  
**--()-- **– change in scene

**

* * *

**

Chapter 3: Interrupted, Lunch-Time Conversation

Kakeru began to stir, her eyes slowly fluttering open. Instantly, a sharp pain came rushing to her head, making her dizzy and clouding her vision.

(_Uhn...what's that? I think I hear voices...is someone there?_)

"I think she's waking up!" a female voice exclaimed.

Kakeru blinked her eyes a few more times in an attempt to be able to see. She noticed that there was someone standing over her, but she couldn't make out who it was.

"Bri-chan, are you alright?" A pair of bright emerald green eyes stared down at Kakeru in concern.

(_Hmm_..._? Bri-chan_..._? That voice...it's so calm and soothing_)

"Ow...my head..." Kakeru groaned, slowly attempting to sit up, failing miserably and falling back on the hard bed.

"Don't strain yourself," the voice said. "Perhaps you should rest for awhile longer."

Looking up, she saw a blur of, what looked like, red hair and the same emerald eyes from before. Her vision finally began to clear and Kakeru saw Shuichi standing over her, Ashura and Talim right behind him.

"Hmmm...?" Kakeru slowly sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "What happened? Where am I?"

Shuichi put his hand on Kakeru's shoulder to help stabilize her. "You're in the nurse's office. I believe that you may have hit your head on something during the accident in biology class," he said, pointing to the bandage that was wrapped around her head. "You seem to be much better now, though." Shuichi then gave off a smile that made him seem very relieved.

Talim and Ashura walked over to the bed, both of them looking worried.

"Gomen, K-chan! We didn't mean for that to happen," Talim said apologetically, blushing a bit.

"We'll be more careful from now on, we promise!" said Ashura.

"You guys don't need to apologize. I'm ok, right? It's alright to make mistakes, but hopefully you'll pay a bit more attention to the directions from now on," she smiled patting her two friends on the shoulder. "Ok? Hey...speaking of which, how long was I out for? I didn't miss too much, did I?"

"No, not really. You've only been here for about an hour," Shuichi said.

"Heh. Looks like I missed World History. Oh well!" Kakeru stood up and grinned. "I really feel much better now. I should probably head off to class before I miss anymore than I already did."

Shuichi stood up and looked at Kakeru. "Are you sure that you're fit to go to class now?"

"Yup! I'm not dizzy anymore, plus my headache has gone away completely," Kakeru stated as she unwrapped the bloodied bandage from her head. "I'll be fine. I really appreciate your concern, though, Shuichi!"

"No problem."

All four of them grabbed their belongings and walked out into the hallway.

"Well, come Talim-chan! We have Literature class in room 3-A. See you later Ashura-chan! Try not to get into anymore trouble while we're gone, ok?"

"Hey, I'll be fine! See you guys at lunch!"

Talim and Kakeru waved and began heading for their class.

"Sabrina, wait a minute!"

They turned around and saw Shuichi walking toward them, a smile on his face.

"Oh, Shuichi. Why are you following us?" Kakeru inquired.

"Well, I was scheduled to switch over to the Literature class in 3-A today. They said that the class I was in previously wasn't challenging enough for me. Since we're going to the same room, I thought you might be able to help show me the way."

"How awesome! You must have done extremely well in that class to be eligible to transfer!"

"Yes, I suppose so. They said they had accidentally placed me in the less-advanced class. I assume this is the room, then?" Shuichi pointed to the door that they had stopped in front of, which was conveniently labeled "3-A".

"Wow, smarty pants, how did ya figure THAT out?" Talim said in a very sarcastic tone.

Kakeru shot Talim an evil "what-was-that-for" look as the three of them opened the door and walked into the room. Shuichi stopped next to the teacher's desk, while Kakeru and Talim took their seats in the middle of the room.

"Alright, students. We have the honor of Minamino Shuichi transferring into our class today. Everyone, please make him feel welcome." The teacher then turned to Shuichi. "The only available seat is over there in front of Hino-san. That is your seat now."

"Arigatou sensei." Shuichi bowed politely and calmly walked over, taking his seat in front of the slightly embarrassed Kakeru.

"Now, take out your literature books and turn to page 259. We will be continuing with our lesson on poetry analysis," the teacher announced.

Shuichi turned around and whispered to Kakeru. "It appears I'll be sitting next to you in this class as well," he said, smiling.

"Yeah, it looks that way," she smiled back. "If you need any help or you get lost, feel free to ask me."

"Arigatou Bri-c….Sabrina."

The teacher began calling on people to read the poems out loud. Kakeru was having a hard time focusing, though, with all that was on her mind.

(_Why does he keep calling me Bri-chan? I haven't been called that for so long... Bri-chan_….._Bri_ -)

"Hino-san!!" yelled the teacher for the third time.

Everyone in the room turned and looked at Kakeru as she finally managed to jerk herself out of her thoughts.

Surprised and embarrassed, Kakeru quickly stood up and bowed. "Gomenasai, sensei!"

"Good, now that I have your attention, would you please answer the question?"

Kakeru flushed slightly. "Um…what question was that, exactly, sensei?"

All of the students, even Shuichi, laughed quietly at her absent-mindedness.

She gave out an audible sigh. "You need to try and pay more attention, Hino-san. I asked you what personification means."

"Oh, that's easy. Personification is when you use human qualities, actions, and emotions to describe an inanimate object," Kakeru replied.

"Thank you, you may take your seat. Try to pay attention when I initially ask the question next time."

"Yes, ma'am, I will," Kakeru said, as she quickly returned to her seat.

(_That was really stupid! I need to focus and stop letting my mind wander. Focus, focus, FOCUS!!_)

Kakeru rubbed her temples in an attempt to get rid of her sudden, pounding headache.

(_This must be from the wound I got earlier. I need to calm down and just try to focus...at least until I can rest and gather myself_.)

Kakeru looked forward to see Shuichi diligently taking notes. She smiled a little to herself and lightly shook her head. (_But still...why is he being so nice to me? Why can't I get him out of my head..._)

**--()--**

Kakeru sat down underneath the large oak tree in the outside lunch area. The sunlight sparkled through the branches above. The smell of freshly-cut grass and the sweet, warm spring air reached her nose and brought a wave of calm over her body.

She pulled out the boxed lunch she had made that morning and waited patiently for her friends to come get her once they had bought their lunches. She had just begun to eat when she saw Shuichi approaching her.

"May I sit here?" he asked, gesturing to a spot on the grass next to Kakeru.

Kakeru looked up at him, smiled and nodded her head, then returned to eating slowly.

He sat down and looked over at Kakeru, glancing at her lunch. "Your lunch looks very delicious. Did you make it yourself?" he inquired.

Kakeru gulped down her mouth full of food and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Yeah, I did," she grinned. "Some white fried rice, baked fish, and caramelized fruit. It's nothing entirely special, really."

"That may be so, but it still looks good. Would you mind if I tried some of your fruit?"

"No, of course not. Help yourself," Kakeru said, holding out the box in front of him.

He used his chopsticks to scoop up some of the caramelized fruit into his mouth. He chewed it slowly, as if making sure to thoroughly experience every aspect of its taste. After swallowing, his lips curled up in a smile of true delight.

"Absolutely wonderful. You're truly a great cook, Sabrina."

Kakeru's face flushed a bit at his praise. "Thank you. I really don't think so, but I'm glad that you enjoyed it."

Their eyes turned towards the ground, and they both continued to eat in silence.

"Hey, Shuichi….? I was wondering….."

"Hmm…?"

"Well…why have you been calling me Bri-chan? I'm never called that by anyone, plus you seemed to try and correct yourself every time you call me that, like you didn't mean to or something."

There was a long pause after Kakeru's question, in which Shuichi looked deep into her eyes, as if searching them for something familiar.

"You don't remember anything at all….do you?" he said, a disappointed tone in his voice.

Kakeru gave him a bewildered look. "Remember what…? Was I supposed to remember something?"

"I see…so you have forgotten," he murmured. He hung his head a bit, but quickly corrected himself. "No, it's nothing."

"Hmm? Are you sure it's nothing?"

"Yes. Let's just forget that I mentioned anything, ok?"

"Well…I guess. I would really like to know what you were talking about, though. Are you sure you can't tell me….please?"

"Well, I-"

Shuichi was interrupted by the sound of running footsteps as Ashura and Talim came dashing toward the two of them.

"Hey K-chan!!" Talim and Ashura yelled in unison as they approached them.

"Hey guys!"

Kakeru put the empty box back in her bag and stood up. She looked down at Shuichi and smiled. "Gomen. See ya later, Shuichi!," she said as she ran toward her friends.

"What took you guys so long?"

"Eh…gomen. Ashura couldn't decide what she wanted," Talim said in an annoyed tone.

"Hey, I'm sorry! Everything just looked soooooo good!! Too...many….choices!"

"Hey, hey, it's ok. I was just worried a little bit, that's all."

"You worry too much, K-chan. And I thought I was the one who was paranoid about everything! Your hair's gonna turn gray if you keep worrying like that," Talim chuckled.

"Hehe, funny," Kakeru stated in a sarcastic tone.

"Let's eat!" Ashura yelled, as she ran off to a table in the cafeteria.

"C'mon, Kakeru-chan," Talim smiled and grabbed the sleeve of Kakeru's uniform.

Kakeru hesitated a bit and glanced back over at Shuichi as she followed.

Shuichi waved and smiled at her retreating back. He then closed his eyes and stretched out under the tree for a few minutes.

(_She hasn't changed a bit from before,_)he thought to himself.

Just then, the lunch bell rang. Shuichi stood up, brushed off his uniform and walked into the building, heading for his next class.

**--()--**

The last bell of the day had finally rung. Ashura, Talim and Kakeru went to their lockers, grabbed their bags and started to make their way out of the school.

"I am SO happy the day's finally over!" Ashura sighed. "I have Algebra homework again, though. I HATE ALGEBRA!!"

"Yeah…but at least you have friends who are good at it, right? That way we can help you, if you want," Kakeru said, playfully poking her in the head.

"It's not that I'm not good at it, I just don't like it," she pouted.

"Well, I don't think any of us like it, but we still have to take it," Talim said.

"I like it!" Kakeru shouted happily, raising her hand enthusiastically up in the air.

Talim scowled. "Yeah, well that's you K-chan. You like everything about school!"

"No, not everything. I don't like….um….well, I guess it depends on my mood."

"I think we all know that Biology is your favorite subject, and we all know why-y," Talim said teasingly in a sing-song voice.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Speak of the devil…" Ashura said, pointing directly in front of them. It was Shuichi at his locker, putting away his books.

"Oh, hey Shuichi!" Kakeru ran over to his locker just as he closed it.

"Hello Sabrina," he smiled. "Are the three of you on your way out?"

"Yes, we are, so we'll see you later Shuichi. C'mon, K-chan! We have someplace important to go!" Talim said hurriedly as she pushed Kakeru forward.

"Actually, I was wondering if I might be able to walk part of the way with you," he said to the girls' retreating backs.

Kakeru planted her feet on the ground and stopped Talim from pushing her. She then turned around and faced him.

"Of course you can. My friends and I would be honored if you would walk with us!"

"Well, actually-"

Kakeru glared at Ashura before she could say another word.

"Well, what I meant to say was that we would actually like it if you would walk with us! Hehe," Ashura faked.

"Thank you very much," Shuichi said.

"Great! Alright then, let's go!" Kakeru stated enthusiastically.

The four opened the doors of the school and began to walk down the sidewalk, following Talim. Ashura, Shuichi and Kakeru had no idea where they were being lead to.

"Um…hey Talim-chan? Where are we going, anyway?" Ashura asked.

"And why are we following you in the first place? You have no sense of direction…." Kakeru muttered under her breath. Shuichi overheard this and chuckled softly.

"Oh, no place special," Talim smiled and giggled like a giddy school girl.

Kakeru looked at her in confusion. "Ok….why are you acting so strange? You've never laughed like that before."

"I've seen many lovesick girls act like that before. Perhaps she has a crush on someone," Shuichi pointed out.

"Oh!" Kakeru stopped and jumped up and down. "Who is he, who is he?!"

"Well, I dunno…."

"C'mon, tell us Talim!" Ashura said, as equally excited as Kakeru.

"Yes, why don't you tell us?" Shuichi asked, amusement playing across his face.

"Well….ok! Just don't laugh or make fun of me, ok?"

"Of course! We would never do that!" Ashura and Kakeru said in unison.

"Ok. Well, you know the tall, carrot top that goes to Sarayashiki Junior High? He's a bit of a punk, but he's so handsome and loyal and-Oh Kazu-chan, I love you soooooo much!!" Talim squealed.

"Wait...Kazu," Kakeru pondered. "You don't mean Kazuma Kuwabara, do you? I've seen him at the arcade before!"

"Yeah, me too!" said Ashura.

There was an awkward silence between the four. Kakeru cracked a smile, and soon began laughing like crazy. Ashura tried as hard as she could not to laugh, while Shuichi smiled knowingly.

"oh...my...god...THAT guy?! You like HIM!?" Kakeru managed to say between fits of hysterical laughter. "He's got to be one of the funniest-looking guys I've ever seen! Not to mention I heard that he gets the lowest grades in his class, and that he's a total klutz. Hahahahaha!! That's a good one, Talim-chan."

Talim's rage burned, bottled up inside her, as her hands visibly began to twitch. She closed the space between her and Kakeru, and smacked her over the head with her fist, knocking Kakeru to the ground within seconds.

"You jerk! I told you not to laugh! You promised!" Talim screeched. Tears began to well up in her eyes as she turned around and ran in the direction they had been headed.

Ashura looked in Talim's direction and then back at Kakeru. "Shuichi, could you please help her? I need to go stop Talim before she hurts anyone else."

"Yes, of course."

"Thanks. Talim-chan, wait!" Ashura yelled as she ran after Talim.

Shuichi kneeled down on the ground next to Kakeru. "Are you alright? That was quite a hit you took from her."

Kakeru pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked at him. "Yeah, I'm ok. I'm not used to being hit over the head like that, though. Normally I would be the one smacking Talim," she said with a smirk.

Shuichi immediately put his hand on Kakeru's head where she had fallen and checked to see if she had been hurt. "You don't appear to be injured whatsoever. That's quite surprising."

She blushed a little bit as Shuichi worried over her. "Hehe, yeah. Aside from this bump on the back of my head, but that'll go away soon enough," she said, gently rubbing the back of her head.

(_Hmm...she caught herself so she wouldn't fall as hard. It takes incredible reflexes to do something like that_….) Shuichi thought.

"Well, it was very lucky that you weren't hurt worse, especially after your injury in biology class this morning. You could have broken your head open," he stated sternly.

"Yeah, I know. I should really learn to keep my thoughts to myself sometimes. Now that I look back on what I said, that was really rude of me. I mean, how would I feel if one of my best friends said that about a guy that I liked?" she said, a hint of regret in her voice.

Shuichi laughed to himself and put his hand softly on her shoulder. "Well, seeing how you've acted today, I don't think it would bother you that much. Besides, you thought she was kidding with you, so you couldn't have known."

"…Yeah, I guess you're right," Kakeru smiled.

Shuichi stood up and offered his hand to Kakeru. She willingly took it and he helped pull her up on her feet. "Come on, I'll walk you home."

"No, no, you really don't have to trouble yourself. I'll be fine, honest."

"Maybe so, but you're still hurt. I want to make sure you get home safely."

"Okay, if you insist. I'll take the lead! Don't worry, I won't get us lost like Talim would," she smiled and giggled softly. She turned and began walking down the sidewalk.

"That's good to hear," Shuichi whispered to himself.

The two of them walked, side-by-side, for about 20 minutes, until Kakeru stopped in front of a small house. It was a very charming little house, colored a shade of pale lavender with deep violet shutters and a charcoal black roof. A cherry blossom tree grew on the bright green lawn near the front of the house. There were flowers in a box just outside each of the windows, mostly filled with deep purple pansies and shining orange and yellow marigolds. A few rose bushes grew in a small garden near the door, which also contained multiple varieties of flowers. It was quite lovely and almost a bit out of place in the small neighborhood of mostly white apartment buildings.

"Is this your house?" Shuichi inquired, practically in awe of the sight before him.

"You bet!" Kakeru exclaimed. "I've been living here for almost two years now. It may be unusually quiet around this area, but I love it here," she smiled, obviously very proud of the home in which she lived.

"I see you love flowers. I bet you have a garden of roses in the back, don't you?"

"Hey, how did you know that?"

"Oh, just a lucky guess," Shuichi said, smirking slightly.

Kakeru walked over to the door of her house and waved. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Shuichi."

"Yes, tomorrow, then. Goodbye," Shuichi said, returning her wave.

With that, Kakeru opened the door to her house and closed it behind her.

Kakeru put her back on the door and slid down it to the floor. She was blushing and looking down at the floor in slight embarrassment. At that same time, Shuichi began walking home from her house. The two of them smiled inwardly to themselves about the day's events, looking forward to what the next day might bring.

* * *

Yes, another long chapter! 3 And I've finally revealed the two main pairings (if they weren't made pretty obvious in this chapter, lol)! If you think Kakeru seems Mary-sueish - just continue reading. It may seem that the relationship between her and Kurama is really sudden, but you'll understand why once you read about her past. All will come in time, my friends...

Anyway, thanks for reading! As always, please review so I know what you all think, and I hope that the story has been enjoyable so far! I'm still working on chapter 4 (and have been for quite awhile)...but if you have any questions about it or about my story/characters...or just questions in general, just send me an email or leave a comment on my story :3


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